Describes a writing project for middle school students in which they learn about the writing process by creating "choose your own adventure" stories. (MG)

Looks at how a short story by three students in a bilingual third-grade classroom came to be. Examines the literate practices already established in the classroom; the classroom norm of using two languages; learning to include information from multiple sources; and learning that interaction is a valuable part of the writing process. (SR)

Exploration of a specific use of Text Based Virtual Reality--not just as powerful communities for authentic communication and collaboration in language learning but exploiting role-playing and writing aspects. The "Walk on Ice" takes a group of adult English-as-a-Second-Language learners through the creation of imaginary characters who…

Examines the rationale behind the British government's method for raising standards in writing at Key Stage 2, noting a renewed drive to teach discreet units of sentence grammar and a fresh commitment to shared and guided writing. Argues that these new measure ignore research on the ways children learn to write and will not lead to a rise in…

Suggests that special education students do well in writing process classrooms that use a variety of approaches, such as cooperative learning, reciprocal learning, and multisensory teaching. Views the writing process classroom as a place where teachers and students respect different learning styles. (TB)

Based on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students' documented preference for error correction and the need for word usage and sentence grammar to become automatic, this article describes the rationale and procedures for using reformulation as composition feedback. The procedures are aimed at improving sentence level grammar. Discusses survey…

Describes a study that investigated whether cooperative editing had lasting benefits for remedial freshman composition students. Reports that students who had been taught the application of standard written grammar made significantly higher mean grades in freshman composition than students who had been taught using only textbooks, discussion, and…

Reviews 32 studies regarding writing in a foreign language in the United States. Focuses on research that investigates relationships between various pedagogical practices or task types assigned and the texts produced by foreign language writers. Topics addressed include exploiting grammar instruction, computer use, task type, strategy training,…

Contemporary trends in education reflect a shift from traditional teacher-centered approaches to more student-centered approaches to learning. Empowering students in their own learning is facilitated by teaching them effective meaning-making strategies that support active participation in their own learning. Making this happen requires using…

School- and university-based writing tasks make demands on cognitive processing and socio-cultural knowledge that vary with the discipline in which the writing is situated. The variation in socio-cognitive demands makes the use of self-accessed, computer-mediated writing instruction more promising than conventional, teacher-fronted instruction. To…

This study uses student reflections of previous success in academic writing to guide instructors as they design writing assignments. Seventy-one students in five classes responded to a questionnaire designed to help them identify particularly successful writing experiences and reflect on the circumstances, strategies, and methods they believed…

Background: This study evaluated the impact on student's writing ability of a structured writing program, called "Writing Wings," for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders developed by the Success For All Foundation (SFAF). Writing is a critical skill for success in school. Purpose: The study was intended to answer one confirmatory question,…

The University of Georgia's Writing Intensive Program began--as do many college-wide writing initiatives--with faculty concern about the quality of student writing at the university. Acknowledging that the responsibility for this quality--or lack thereof--belongs to all faculty, in all disciplines, not just to first-year composition instructors…

The authors examined a model of instruction for English-language learners (ELLs) who were learning academic English while they tried to meet content standards required by the nation's education reform movement. In previous work (J. Echevarria, M. E. Vogt, & D. Short, 2000), the authors developed and validated a model of instruction (Sheltered…

This study aimed at verifying whether a specific program on writing self-efficacy, designed to train the four sources of self-efficacy suggested by Bandura (1997), could improve not only productivity and quality of writing composition in students with LD and their processes of writing, but also their writing self-efficacy beliefs and other…